Sutter's Mill was a water-powered sawmill on the bank of the South Fork American River in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in California. It was named after its owner John Sutter. A worker constructing the mill, James W. Marshall, found gold there in 1848. This discovery set off the California Gold Rush (1848–1855), a major event in the history of the United States.
2014 replica of Sutter's Mill
Photograph of the original Sutter's Mill, taken circa 1850
Replica (1968-2014)
A sawmill or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes. The "portable" sawmill is simple to operate. The log lies flat on a steel bed, and the motorized saw cuts the log horizontally along the length of the bed, by the operator manually pushing the saw. The most basic kind of sawmill consists of a chainsaw and a customized jig, with similar horizontal operation.
Sawing logs into finished lumber with a basic "portable" sawmill
An American sawmill, c. 1920
Early 20th-century sawmill, maintained at Jerome, Arizona.
Illustration of a human-powered sawmill with a gang-saw, published in 1582.